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The Advent Calendar

This Advent Calendar was three years in the making, and I must say: I’m glad it’s finished. Much of it was improvised, so I wonder what it might’ve been had I followed some sort of directions. But it gets the job done. It’s ultra-wrinkly from being folded up and tossed into a box every year after I’ve had my fill. And like most of my projects, it was hastily completed, and so the binding is all… weird. Ah, well. In case you are wondering why I made the tree so wide at the bottom, well, that is to accommodate the tiny ornaments I hope to one day make. One day.

The thing I like most about this advent calendar is what’s inside those cute little pockets. Instead of candy or toys, I decided to tuck in little cards with different activities written on them. Each day Abram takes out a card, and whatever is written on the card is the special activity he gets to do with mommy. It’s a constant challenge for me to carve out time just for Abram. Because there is a little baby about and a sink full of dishes and heaps of dirty laundry and food to pick up and meals that want making and children to babysit and a job to go to and all the running back and forth… I am often lost in the chaos. So this is my way of showing Abram how important he is to me and how I do have time just for him. My hope is that practicing this through December will teach us to do it every day–without an advent calendar!

Gi, We had one just like this when I was a kid. I mean, not quite exactly, but it had a big felt tree on top and every day we had to find the ornament and stick it to the tree. Maybe it was velcro. Anyway, I always loved it and envisioned trying to re-create it someday. I love the buttons — great idea!